Page 3791 - Week 11 - Thursday, 24 November 2022
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
was around the effect of housing supply on affordability and when will you take action to meet Canberrans’ demand for detached housing. Mr Barr has not addressed the topic of the question in terms of demand for detached housing.
Mr Rattenbury: On the point of order, Madam Speaker, I also note that the standing orders indicate that there should be no interjections when members are speaking.
MADAM SPEAKER: The standing orders also make reference to how questions are put forward. They are not to include irony or other commentary and should have a single focus. The question was on affordability and the issue of supply. The minister has articulated the range of supply issues and the impacts of other things on affordability. Your time has expired, Minister.
Southern Memorial Park—update
MR DAVIS: My question is to Minister Steel. Minister, two weeks ago I hosted a Tuggeranong town hall—an opportunity for my constituents to hear from my Greens ministerial colleagues about the work the government is doing. One of the questions raised frequently by my constituents was a proposal for a south-side cemetery. A site was chosen for the cemetery 10 years ago, and last year the government released a listening report on the Southern Memorial Park. Could you please provide an update on where this work is up to and when the community can expect an announcement on the next steps of this project?
MR STEEL: I thank the member for his question, and for his interest in cemeteries in the ACT. The ACT government is progressing with the development of Southern Memorial Park, which is the new cemetery which will serve the south side of Canberra over the coming decades. The revised Southern Memorial Park masterplan was released in 2021, and preliminary plans for stage 1 construction were released for public comment in mid-2021. The consultation outcomes show that the revised SMP masterplan is supported by the community, and the preliminary plans for stage 1 construction were amended to include the opportunity for natural burials as well as more traditional burials. The tender for the SMP stage 1 detailed design was awarded in late March 2022. Site investigations, traffic studies, and other preliminary work necessary for detailed design, is now in progress.
MR DAVIS: Minister, the listening report, you said, had significant support for natural burial methods at the south-side cemetery. Can you please describe the considerations government is making to the environmental impact of the memorial?
MR STEEL: I thank the member for his question. As many people, particularly on the south-side, would know, this is an area which has some environmental significance. Initiatives will need to be worked through as the masterplan is developed. They are certainly being considered very deeply as we work on the masterplan for the site, and the staged implementation and construction of the new Southern Memorial Park. We know that there are areas of grassy box-gum woodland habitat that are part of the park footprint that we will need to consider.
We want to make sure that the new cemetery is designed in a way that fits in well with the beautiful natural landscape. That is why I think natural burials will play an
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video